


Find Me

by JustDance04



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drabble Collection, Gen, dimension hopping mickey smith, godsister: a godmother who is young enough to be your sibling, weird friendships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-05 23:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 11,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5393867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustDance04/pseuds/JustDance04
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"If you need to, one day. Find me."</p><p>A series of drabbles about two former companions of the Doctor and the odd friendship that they formed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Friendship

Sarah Jane Smith was considered to be something of a madwoman to those on Bannerman Road. Always running off to work on stories, only half of which ever seemed to be published. Unwelcoming to everyone else, the only friend she seemed to have was a blonde girl who couldn't be more than twenty.

The girl herself, Rose Tyler, was also off. There was, of course, her mysterious year-long disappearance that took place immediately after the shop where she used to work blew up one night and mannequins attacked people with guns the following night. When asked about her life after those events, she would only say she was 'traveling', with no specification as to how, why, or where. Then, one day, she popped back to Earth, in a manner of speaking, and started looking for a job and a flat. Most people figured it was due to the fact that her ex-boyfriend, Mickey Smith, moved away and that her mum, Jackie, seemed to have died in the attacks by Cybermen.

Questions about the odd friendship between the two were deflected, either by frostiness or outright avoiding the question. Still, most people agreed that it seemed to fit the two of them.

A madwoman and a girl who had trouble staying in one place.

 


	2. Breakfast

The day after the Bane tried to take over the world, Maria Jackson woke up in her bed, half-convinced that the entire thing was some crazy fever dream. She knew, though, that it had to be real. She couldn't dream up something that coherent and strange and _wonderful_.

… She also couldn't dream up people she never met before, because she read somewhere that every face in your dreams was a face you've seen before and she knew she had never seen any of the people she had met the day before, Bane or human.

After grabbing a piece of toast, she rushed across the road to number 13, only to stop at the strange car in the driveway. Curious, she knocked on the front door. The sounds of shuffling were heard and Sarah Jane answered.

“Oh, hello Maria. Come on in,” she said.

The teenager followed the older woman to the kitchen, where Luke (who had only been named such for about twelve hours) was sitting at the table and watching as an unknown blonde girl was cooking eggs.

“Hello,” she greeted. The sunlight streaming through the window framed her face and only served to make her already-bright smile even brighter. “I'm Rose. You must be Maria, right?”

“Yeah... You're...” Maria was more than a little confused.

“Oh, right. I'm a friend of Sarah Jane's. I used to travel with the Doctor, as well. Not at the same time, mind you. I came around a long while after she left. Popped over here quick as I could this morning. Would have been here yesterday, but things were a little hectic at work since I didn't drink BubbleShock... “

“I told her not to,” Sarah Jane answered and Maria realized that the journalist had at some point sat down across the table from Luke. “I don't trust any food item that gets permission to sell that quickly and I was proven right.”

“S'funny,” Rose said, grinning from ear to ear. “I leave you alone for one day and you blow up a building, adopt a child, and somehow get the new neighbor roped into your shenanigans. Props to you, though, Maria. Handlin' all that mess and then coming back? 'Specially when you're so young. I was nineteen and nearly turned my back on it, even if I wasn't all that freaked out.”

“What stopped you?” Maria asked.

“Doctor mentioned that his blue box was also a time machine. I knew it could travel in space, but time as well? There was no way I was passin' up an opportunity like that.” She pulled the eggs off the burner and pulled out plates. “You eaten yet? There's enough to go around.”

“Just had a piece of toast. If you really don't mind...”

“No problem. I always do cookin' when I come over here.” She leaned over and pretended to whisper. “Sarah Jane can't cook worth a damn.”

“I can hear you,” the bad cook in question said.

“I know you can.”

“If you know she can hear you, why are you trying to whisper?” Luke asked.

Rose just laughed and handed out plates of scrambled eggs. “Now then... who wants to tell me exactly what happened yesterday?”

 


	3. School

“We have to go to school tomorrow,” Maria said, hands on her chin as she watched Rose make tea in her flat's kitchen. The girls wanted to get to know each other since, as Maria pointed out, they were closer in age to each other than Rose was to Sarah Jane.

“Course you do. Just cause you know about aliens now doesn't mean you haven't gotta try to live a normal life,” was the answer.

“I'm worried,” the frizzy-haired girl sighed. “I mean, this is an entirely new school for me... and Luke... Luke is about a week old. It's a miracle that he can blend in well enough that people don't immediately point him out as not normal.”

“What? You think someone's gonna look at him and go 'that boy was made by aliens'?”

“No, but... he probably won't fit in at school... Not that I care about popularity, but I don't want him to be bullied or anything.”

Rose turned around and set a cup of tea down in front of Maria, before sitting down across from her, in a chair that matched neither the table nor the other chair. “And you think that might be an issue?”

“I mean... genius who doesn't know how people work? He's going to alienate everyone in the school. Even if he's not bullied, he'll probably get upset that he can't be normal.”

“You sure about that?”

“Trust me, he knows full and well that he acts nothing like a normal teenager. I've been trying to teach him, but it's only been a week and he's so... analytical about everything. It's all logic and numbers with him. He doesn't get it and watching him realize that he doesn't get it is... I get upset at it.”

Rose took a long sip from her tea before setting it down and staring Maria in the face. “You think people will treat him badly because of how he is?”

“Yes, that's what I was just saying.”

“You think he won't be able to defend himself from bullies?”

“Not really... It's not like aliens...”

“But you can fight off bullies and don't care what people think of you?”

“Yeah...”

“Then, the way I see it, you need to be there to help Luke. He trusts you, Maria. You were the first face he ever saw and, without you, he could very well still be under the Bane's control, helping them to conquer Earth. Sarah Jane is the one who took him in, but you were the one who rescued him from the BubbleShock factory.”

“So... what? I'm his knight in shining armor?”

“I don't think he considers it like that, but he'll look to you for help at school. You've gotta be there to give it.”

“... You're right, I suppose. It's just... I'm still adjusting to all this. I have a whole new world and I'm still getting used to it.”

“You've got it better than I did.” Maria looked up from her tea questioningly and Rose continued. “First trip with the Doctor, he took me to the year five billion. _Major_ culture shock.”

“... Okay, you have to tell me that story.” And so, Rose dove into anecdotes about her time exploring the universe and worries about school and genetically-engineered boys were forgotten in laughter.

 


	4. Slitheen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explosions are not the answer to everything.

“With this system, they can drain every last drop of energy from the Earth,” Luke said. “Our school's the last link in the chain.”

“But,” Maria asked, “it needs the whole chain together to do that?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“We bomb the school?” Clyde asked excitedly.

Sarah Jane ignored him, focusing on Luke. “If we could get in there, could you destroy the entire system safely?”

“I think so. If we reset the system. Shut it down for just a second. I need a cutting tool.”

“What about this?” She held up the sonic lipstick. Luke nodded in affirmation that it would work.

“Yeah? And how do we get past the Slitheen?” Maria asked.

“We bomb them?” Clyde asked again, still excited about the prospect of blowing things up.

“Well, I was hoping Rose could help with that. She's met them before,” Sarah Jane answered.

“Sarah Jane,” Mr Smith interrupted. “I've just picked up this report on an American newschannel.”

The group watched as Trinity Wells reported the loss power on the west coast of the United States.

“It's started. Time to call Rose.” Sarah Jane pulled out her cell phone and selected the former companion off her contact list. The teens argued about Luke giving the Slitheen the equation while the phone rang.

“Hello?” Rose answered. It sounded like she was eating.

“Rose,” Sarah Jane greeted. “I need to know everything you know about the Slitheen.”

There was a choking sound and the sound of something being spit out. “The Slitheen? Are they back?”

“Yes and they've taken over Luke and Maria's school, as well as dozens of others worldwide. They're trying to drain the world of energy.”

“Are the kids with you?”

“Yes.”

“Put me on speakerphone. That way, I can talk to all of you.”

Sarah Jane did so and set the phone down so they could all talk to Rose.

“Right. You encountered Slitheen with the Doctor, right? How did you stop it?”

“We hacked into UNIT and used a missile to blow up Downing Street,” she answered flatly. Clyde looked up with a huge grin.

“We're not blowing up Park Vale. Any weaknesses?”

“They're calcium-based. Large amounts of vinegar will kill them. What are they trying to do?”

“They have a chain of capacitors to drain all the energy from the Earth,” Luke answered. “They need the whole chain to do so. I can destroy the one here, but we need to get past the Slitheen first.”

“... You sure you don't just want to blow it up? I know how to access UNIT's missiles.”

“No!” Sarah Jane reprimanded. “We are not. Blowing up. The school.” There was silence from the other end and Clyde looked crestfallen.

“So... we throw vinegar on them?” Maria asked.

“Yeah,” Rose answered. “You gather that up. I'll grab some myself and meet you at the school that we're not going to blow up.”

 


	5. Statue

“Who exactly are you?”

Rose turned around to stare Chrissie Jackson in the face. She had managed to escape actual conversation with the woman up until that point, but, after Alan had been turned to stone, Maria's mother was trying to investigate every single person that had ever been to 13 Bannerman Road. Being it's most frequent visitor outside of Clyde and Maria, it was no surprise she found herself being interrogated.

“I always see you over there with Polly Jane. What are you? Her niece or something?” Chrissie continued.

“No ma'am. I'm just a friend of hers. Rose Tyler.”  
“Bit young to be hanging around with someone her age, aren't you?”

“She helped me get back on my feet after I had a bit of trouble. I didn't have a job and couldn't pay rent, so she let me stay with her until I could get a flat.”

“Does she take in strays often?”

“I'm not- That wasn't it. We had- we _have_ a mutual friend. Bonded a bit. She said to find her if I needed anything, so I did.”

“Right... and you don't think she's... weird?”

“If you're talking about your accusations that she had a statue of your ex-husband in her living room, I assure you that no such thing existed.” Chrissie made a dramatic gesture of shock that she knew about the 'statue'. “The kids told me. Now, I really need to get going. I have to be at work soon.” She turned around to walk away, with no desire to continue the conversation.

“And where exactly do you work?”

“Chip shop! Bye!”

 


	6. Godsister

“He's doing pretty well for a kid who was born a couple of weeks ago,” Rose commented as she watched out the window, where Clyde and Maria were attempting to teach Luke how to play football in the backyard. He seemed incredibly frustrated and didn't appear to be having much fun with the sport at all.

“Yes, he is...” Sarah Jane sounded distracted, prompting the younger woman to raise her eyebrow.

“Somethin' wrong?”

“I'm worried, is all. You know how dangerous my life can get.”

“You're afraid something will happen to him?”

“I'm afraid something will happen to _me_. If I'm gone, what happens to Luke? There aren't many people who would know how to take care of him and raise him properly.”

“You mean there aren't many people who know where he comes from?”

“Exactly. I couldn't exactly ask Clyde or Maria's parents to take him. They don't know the truth either and it would be asking far too much. I suppose I could ask the Brig, but even then... I don't like the idea of putting him anywhere that UNIT could find out what he is and I hate to push such a thing on Alistair now that he's retired. Not to mention it would be taking him out of Ealing and away from his only friends.”

“... I could take him. I know what he needs to learn how to blend in and then he could stick around Clyde and Maria.”

“I couldn't ask you to do that.”

“I _want_ to. I know I don't have the best income or housing, but he'd be in Ealing and with people who know what to expect.”

“No, I mean I couldn't ask you to do that with your current living state. If you want to be the one to take care of Luke should anything happen to me, then it's only right that you're the temporary guardian of the accounts. Then you can use the house and inheritance until he's old enough to have them.”

“Take a bit of time to sort it all out.”

“Or we can just have Mr. Smith forge it all again, the way we did with Luke's records.”

“Good point.”

“So that makes you Luke's godmother then.”

“Oh. Ew. Too young to be godmother. If he were actually fourteen, we could be siblings.”

“Godsister?”

“Yeah, let's go with that.”

 


	7. Kiss

“You've kissed someone before, right?”

Rose looked up from her book in alarm, head whipping around to stare Luke in the face. “Yes. Why?” He was far too young to be thinking about relationships... chronologically speaking, that was.

“Everything I've read says you're supposed to get emotional when people kiss you. Jen kissed me and all I felt was lip contact.”

“... Whose been letting you read romance novels?”

“Maria.”

“Right. Well...” She set her book aside as she thought out how to answer his question. “A kiss pretty much is lip contact. It's how you feel for the person that makes you feel excited.”

“I've read that you can kiss friends and family on the cheek or forehead, but lips are only intended romantically.”

“Well, that's how most people see it.”

“Why?”

“I don't know. Spit-swapping is only considered okay between people who like each other romantically for some reason. Not just kissing, but sharing straws and stuff, too. I suppose it's considered romantic to risk contracting mono.”

“Mono?”

“Mononucleosis. It's a disease that's most commonly spread through saliva, though there are other ways of spreading it. I got it when I was sixteen. Wasn't much fun.”

“Is getting ill supposed to be fun?”

“No, it's no- This is not what we were discussing.”

“But we were talking about it.”

“We got off-track. We _were_ discussing the girl that kissed you.”

“Jen.”

“Right. … Come to think of it, why _did_ she kiss you?”

“Because I saved us from being sent to another planet after we were kidnapped by Kudlak and Grantham.”

“And you had just met her?”

“Yes.”

“And you don't go to the same school or anything? You're not likely to meet her again?”

“The probability of me meeting her again is very low, yes.”  
“Then don't worry about it. It's a one-time thing and nothing will come of it.”

“Okay.”

“Great.” Rose picked her book back up and opened to the page she had been on. She got about three sentences further than she had been when-

“Why is it considered romantic to risk contracting a disease?”

 


	8. Birthday

“I checked the date,” Rose said, draped over the couch in the attic.

“Oh?” Sarah Jane didn't look up from the article she was writing on the non-alien computer.

“It's my birthday.”

“ _Oh._ ” The older woman swiveled around in her chair. “How old are you?”

“I dunno. For all I know, it's been something like two and a half years since I ran off with the Doctor. I suppose I'll be twenty-one. It sounds about right...”

“I understand where you're coming from. Keeping track of time when you time-travel and all the time spent in the Time Vortex... It gets confusing.”

“Yeah and... it feels so weird. Like I looked at the calendar and 'oh, it's my birthday.' It just feels like another day, though, and I'm not in much of a celebrating mood.”

“That's a shame. The kids love to throw parties.”  
“The kids don't even know.”

“You sure about that?” Rose bolted up with a shocked look on her face. “You didn't think _I_ wasn't aware of the date, did you?”

“And you told them?”

“I told them several days ago. Where do you think they've been all day?”

“I thought they were at the park.”

“No, they've been trying to organize a party for you. Even I don't know what they're planning.”

“And you were the distraction?”

“No. It's not a surprise party. I just thought that there was no reason to mention it unless prompted. I do believe they're setting up at Maria's house right now.”

“I can't believe you told them.”

“And I can't believe you forgot your own birthday. Please try to be excited for their sakes.”

 


	9. Outlaw

“Saxon is up to something,” Rose yelled as she burst into the attic. “And I'm not talking about the Toclafane.”

Sarah Jane and the kids, who had been looking into just that on Mr. Smith, were startled.

“What do you mean?” Maria asked.

Rose crossed the room and down the steps to stand by the others. “Mr. Smith, there was a broadcast reporting three supposed terrorists less than an hour ago. Can you find it and pull it up?”

“Of course, Rose.” The computer whirred as he sorted through the news channels, before pulling up the correct one.

“Okay, pause it.” She marched forward and pointed to the, albeit blurry, picture of a brown-haired man. “That's the Doctor. I would recognize him anywhere. And the other man is a friend of mine who used to travel with me and the Doctor. Captain Jack Harkness. No clue who the woman is, but, if she's being lumped in with those two, I'm willing to bet that a terrorist is the last thing she is.”

The kids squinted at the tiny photo, as if trying to process the fact that this skinny, scruffy-looking man was the nine hundred-year-old alien who saved the universe multiple times over. It was unspoken, but agreed among them all the same: they kind of expected more. Of course, none of them could have suspected that this would be how they got their first look at him.

“If that's the Doctor, why is he being framed as terrorist?” Clyde asked.

“Like Rose said: Saxon is up to something,” Sarah Jane answered. “Why would Saxon invent an alien race? Probably for the same reason he's set the Doctor up as an enemy.”

“The Toclafane are faked?” Rose asked.

“I have found no records of the term 'Toclafane' in any intergalactic lifeform databanks,” Mr. Smith answered. “Nor are there any species I can find that resemble them.”

“Well... wouldn't be first time someone's set up a fake first contact scenario...” At Luke's questioning glance, she elaborated. “First time we met the Slitheen, part of their plan involved faking a spaceship crash. The pilot was a pig. An Earth pig. Mr. Smith, what can you tell us about Mr. Saxon?”

“Harold Saxon first rose to the public eye eighteen months ago, where he promptly began work on the Archangel Network,” the computer answered.

“And before that?”

“Before that, there are several photos and records which are, to a careful observer, blatantly forged.”

“So Harold Saxon didn't exist until eighteen months ago?” Luke asked.

“That is correct.”

“And he immediately began work on Archangel!” Sarah Jane exclaimed. “Mr. Smith, tell us everything you know about the Archangel Network.”

“It consists of fifteen satellites that are connected with virtually every other network on Earth.”

“And?”

“That is all the information currently available. I myself am not connected with Archangel.”

“Well, that's rubbish,” Clyde declared. “This thing could be evil and we don't even know.”

“But we do,” Luke protested. “Mr. Smith, how long did it take for Archangel to become connected to all the other networks?”

“Archangel became the leading network almost immediately.”

“Gaining control of the other networks should take a lot longer than that.”

“So... what? It's like BubbleShock?” Maria asked.

“Exactly.”

“The Prime Minister is an alien?” Clyde asked.

“Possibly,” Rose answered. “The question is what do we do now. Can't exactly march into his office and accuse him of being an alien that may or may not want to conquer Earth. He's the _Prime Minister_.”

“So we... what? Sit here and wait till something happens?”

“We won't have to wait long,” Sarah Jane answered. “The meeting with the Toclafane is set for eight AM tomorrow.”

“Joy. The world could end tomorrow because we can't assassinate the Prime Minister.”

“The Doctor's on the case,” Rose said. “The Doctor and Jack... and their friend. They'll take care of it.”

 


	10. Old Friends

Rose was curled up on her couch with the telly on, the news playing on low volume. Saxon, who the gang continued to suspect was an alien, had been shot by his wife after using the Toclafane to assassinate the US President. The Vice President had taken control of America, while Great Britain once again found itself without a Prime Minister. The relations between the two countries were incredibly strained at the moment, although America seemed to understand that Saxon acted under his own authority and not Britain's.

She was broken out of her reverie by a knock on her door. Not many people visited her, so her first thought was that it would be one of her friends. Luke, Clyde, and Maria would be in school, so maybe it was Sarah Jane? Why would Sarah Jane show up at her flat unannounced, though? She opened the door-

And found Captain Jack Harkness on the other side.

“Jack?” was all she could manage. Yes, she had seen the photo on the news, but to have him here. In front of her. _Alive_...

“Rose,” he responded in kind.

A moment passed before both broke out in huge grins. She threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up off the ground, spinning around before he set her down again.

“I thought you were _dead_ ,” she almost shouted.

“Yeah, so did I.” He motioned to the room behind her. “Gonna invite me in, or do I have to stand in the corridor?”

“Oh, right. Come on in.” She stepped out of the way so he could walk into the flat, shutting the door behind him. “It's kind of small...”

“I notice you have quite the mismatched collection of furniture.”

“Well, you know, it's whatever people give me or what I can buy cheap... What happened to you? On Satellite 5?”

“I woke up and I was alive. Forever.”

“What's that mean?”

“Means I can't die permanently. I always come back. The Doctor called me a living fixed point in time. Said I was wrong. That it was painful to look at me and the TARDIS couldn't stand to have me on board. It's why he left me behind.”

“How did you get back?”

“My vortex manipulator. It missed, though. I landed in the 1800s. It broke immediately after. I've had to live my way to now.”

“So you're over a hundred now?”

“Yeah. I've been living in Cardiff the whole time, monitoring the Rift.”

“... We went to Cardiff. With the Slitheen and the nuclear power plant.”

“And I had my team hiding in our base for the entirety of that day to prevent crossing my own timeline. Eventually, the Doctor landed there for another fueling stop, with his friend Martha Jones. I latched on the TARDIS. It didn't like that. Flew to the end of the universe to shake me off.”

“And what about Harold Saxon and being framed as terrorists?”

“That's a long story. The gist of it is that Harold Saxon was a Time Lord called the Master. Not a person you'd want to meet.” Jack picked up a photo off the counter. It was one of Rose with the kids at the park near Sarah Jane's house. “He used Archangel to send subliminal messaging. Make people want to vote for him. Trust him.”

“I knew there was something dodgy about that.”

“Enough about me.” He spun around, holding up the photo. “What about you? I was surprised when the Doctor said you had left him.”

“Well... I did keep traveling with him for a bit after Canary Wharf. But meeting Sarah Jane and something my mum said about one day being a total stranger to Earth... I guess I just wanted to leave on my own terms, before it was too late for me to continue living a normal life.”

“Sarah Jane?”

“Sarah Jane Smith. She's a journalist who used to travel with the Doctor a long time ago. His third and fourth bodies, she said, while you and I know his ninth and tenth. She traveled with him for a long time until one day... he left her behind. She spent thirty years waiting for him and it was only a coincidence that we ran into each other investigating the same school. After that, she decided it was time to move on with her life. I decided it was time for me to move on with mine.”

“He seemed to really miss you.”

“And I miss him and traveling with him. There are days where I regret my decision to walk out, but I knew I had to. The Doctor said it himself, when I met Sarah Jane: humans grow old. We wither and die. I could spend the rest of my life with him, but I'm not sure I wanted to. Growing old while he kept looking youthful... I couldn't.”

“Hard choice, but I'm glad you decided to leave on your own terms. What have you been up to since? Clearly something involving teenagers...”

“... Why don't I make some tea and we can tell each other our very long stories?”

“Sure.”

 


	11. New Friends

Rose wasn't all too surprised by the fact that the Doctor had found a new traveling companion after she left. Not now that she knew that he had plenty over the course of his lives. She didn't know how she was supposed to react to Martha Jones, though, which was an issue as Jack wanted to introduce her.

She made her way into the cafe where they had decided to meet in lieu of anyone's home. Rose's flat was tiny, Martha was living with her family after her place blew up and they were traumatized by Saxon, and Jack lived in Cardiff, which neither girl wanted to make the commute to.

The other two were in a booth at the far back. They stood out, as one wore an out-of-date RAF coat and the other was in a red leather jacket. Rose made her way over.

“Budge up,” she told Jack. He obliged and moved aside to make room for the blonde.

“Right. Rose Tyler, meet Martha Jones. Martha, this is Rose,” he said with a grin.

“Jack told me about you,” Rose greeted, holding her hand out across the table. “He didn't go into details, but he said enough.”

Martha took the offered hand. “I've heard about you, too. From Jack and the Doctor.”

“... The Doctor mentioned me?”

“Is that weird?”

“I dunno.” Rose thought back to Sarah Jane and how the Doctor had never mentioned her or any preceding companions. Although, it could be that it had been so long since he traveled with Sarah, where as she had walked out on him not long ago. “Guess I just didn't think he'd bring it up.”

“Well, I did kind of ask him if he usually traveled on his own. It's not all that surprising that he would mention you, since you hadn't left all that long ago.”

They were interrupted by a waitress placing Martha and Jack's drinks down, then taking Rose's order. Jack took a sip of his coffee, before declaring it 'inferior to Ianto's'. Martha said something about having to come down to Cardiff specifically to try Ianto's coffee, if it was better than the cafe's, which she found pretty good.

After the waitress left, Martha turned back towards Rose. “Jack said you've been doing freelance alien hunting with a woman named Sarah Jane Smith.”

“And her kids. Well, kid and his friends. We call them her kids, but only Luke is her actual child... and even he's adopted. Never had biological children.”

“You're rambling,” Jack noted.

“Yes, yes I am.”

“So you do freelance stuff with her and Jack has Torchwood,” Martha said. “Not exactly sure where I'm supposed to go now. I should go back to medical school and finish getting my degree, but it seems... boring.”

“You see the whole universe,” Rose agreed. “Time and space and other planets and then...”

“Back to Earth,” Martha finished. “Though... I do have this card for UNIT... The Doctor's got my phone on the TARDIS so I can call him up if I need to and he said that I could call him up and a job with them would pretty much be guaranteed.”

“Do you want to?” Jack asked.  
“Still thinking about it... but, no, I will not take a job with Torchwood instead because I would like to stay in London, thank you very much.” Jack closed his mouth and frowned.

“Hey, you'd be good on our team... and I'd hate to lose you to UNIT.” Rose raised a questioning eyebrow at this.

“Apparently, UNIT and Torchwood have a rivalry going,” Martha explained. “Started with something about Torchwood wanted the Doctor while he worked with UNIT. Then there was a bit about Torchwood not being able to have him yet, because he hadn't gone back in time to allow it's creation and it would cause a paradox... I'm not sure why they keep up the rivalry now, though.”

“Now it's just a competition for better alien fighting team,” Jack said. “Would you like to get Sarah Jane involved and make it a three-way competition?”

“Sarah Jane is already on UNIT's side,” Rose said drily.

“Damn you.”

 


	12. Missing

Maria Jackson was having the absolute worst day imaginable. Sarah Jane and Luke were missing, with some woman named Andrea Yates living in 13 Bannerman Road instead. To make it worse, nobody remembered the Smiths except for her. Even the pictures from the day before were different. Andrea was there in place of Sarah Jane, Luke, and...

“Rose.” Where was Rose? She had been at the park, too. Why wasn't she there?

“I'm sorry?” Alan asked.

“Rose Tyler? Sarah Jane's friend? Luke's godsister?”

“His what?”

“Godsister? Cause she said she was too young to be his god _mother_ , so she calls herself his god _sister_?”

“Look, Maria, I don't know any of these people and you're starting to worry me.”

“They. Are. _Real._ They're real and I'll prove it.”

“Maria...”

“I'll go to Rose's flat! Sarah Jane might not be there, but Rose has to be there! I'll prove it, Dad. I'll show you. Sarah Jane Smith is real and I'm. Going. To find her.”

 


	13. Companions

Luke watched from his bedroom window as a car pulled up into the drive, with Rose standing there to greet it. A man and woman, the same ones who were said by Saxon to be terrorists alongside the Doctor, stepped out. The man, Captain Jack Harkness as he so clearly recalled, stepped forward with a grin on his face to embrace Rose. After letting her go, the other woman, whom he'd been told was named Martha Jones, stepped forward to shake her hand in greeting.

“So that's them, then?” Clyde asked, from where he was positioned on Luke's left. “The Doctor's friends?”

“Must be,” Maria answered, from Luke's right.

Sarah Jane stepped out of the house to say hello to their guests. Martha smiled and shook her hand. Jack, meanwhile, opted to kiss her hand instead, causing Sarah Jane to be taken aback. Rose quite clearly laughed, though they couldn't hear it from where they were, and shoved him.

“I think he's flirting with your mum, Luke,” Maria said. “That's... kind of weird.”

“Why is it weird?” he asked, confused.

“Cause he's so young and she's... I'm gonna end that sentence there,” Clyde said. Maria laughed.

Sarah Jane motioned towards the door and the group below made their way inside. The kids backed away from the window, with nothing to watch anymore.

“Luke! Clyde! Maria!” Sarah Jane yelled from the floor below. “Come meet our guests!”

 


	14. Adopted

When Sarah Jane got home from the police station, Rose was leaning against the brick wall outside number 13, a plastic bag in her hand. Nothing was said at first. They merely both turned and made their way into the house. Rose pulled the kettle out and set it on to make tea, while Sarah Jane sat at the table with her forehead in her hand.

Once the tea was poured and set in front of them, Rose sat on the other side of table.

“I saw the news reports,” she said. “Would have been here sooner, but I was caught up at work.” She pulled a box out of the bag and opened it, revealing a box of chips which she pushed towards Sarah Jane. “Got another shift coming up soon, but I'm here to talk until then.”

“It's my fault. I should have looked harder to see if he had a family.”

“You couldn't have known. The evidence for him being created by the Bane was high. Luke- _Ashley_ having biological parents was something nobody could have seen coming.” Trying to call him by what was apparently his real name was difficult, especially since Rose didn't like the name Ashley in the first place.

“Perhaps it's for the better. He might get his real memories back with his parents. Become a normal boy again.”

“What about Clyde and Maria? They're his friends.”

“That will be up to their parents. I imagine Alan will let Maria keep visiting him. She told him about the Bane and what they did to him. Clyde will probably convince his mum. It's not like they had anything to do with what happened to him.”

They sat in silence for several more minutes, until Rose spoke up again.

“Think of it this way: if it wasn't for you, then Lu- Ashley could still be under the Bane's control. At least you gave him a better life than what might have happened.”

“I suppose you're right. And now he's with his real family. His life can only get better from here.”

 


	15. Moon

It was one-thirty in the morning after Mr. Smith tried to destroy the world. Rose was in the spare room of number 13, having opted to spend the night with Sarah Jane rather than go back to her flat. A good portion of her night had been spent on the phone with Jack and Martha, assuring them that everything was handled and they were in no more danger from the moon.

Now she found herself lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't that she wasn't tired. She just couldn't seem to turn her brain off. She kept feeling like she needed to be awake for something.

She was right, it seemed, as she heard a thump from another room. She climbed out of the bed and poked her head into the hallway. A light was shining from Luke's room. That must have been where the noise came from. She tiptoed down the hall and knocked softly on the door.

“It's open,” was the quiet answer. Rose opened it and found him sitting on the bed, lamp on and a book in his hand. “Did I wake you? I didn't mean to. I just dropped my book...”

“Nah. I was already awake. Bit late for reading though, isn't it?” she asked. “If it were a school night, I'd be forced as your godsister to scold you.”

“Can't really sleep,” he answered. “My head's buzzing. Has been since Mr. Smith used the headset on me.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Don't know what to say.”

Rose sat down on the side of the bed. “Well, how do you feel?”

“Physically or emotionally?”

“Both.”

“Physically... I feel tired. Drained of energy. At the same time, though, I can't seem to stop thinking. It's like the headset started making my brain work at full capacity and it hasn't stopped yet.”

“And emotionally?”

“I don't know. Is it weird to not know how you feel about something?”

“Not really. Pretty common, actually. Too many emotions at once can make people confused on their feelings about a subject. Is that what's happening with you?”

“I think so. It's like... I'm happy that I get to keep living with Sarah Jane and scared because I really could have died and upset because I almost destroyed Earth and worried that Mr. Smith might still be evil...”

“You've had a stressful day. We all did, but you most of all. Have you told Sarah Jane all this?”

“No.”

“You should. Not right now, of course, but you should sit down and talk it over with her soon. She's your mum, after all.”

Luke paused, then nodded. “Right now, I just wish I could fall asleep.”

“You want me to try to sing you to sleep?” She was answered by silence and a blank stare. “No? Do you want me to leave?”

“No, you can stay. I don't think I want to be alone right now.”

“Okay... Tell you what, though... when I was younger, my mum would always hold me if I had trouble sleeping.”

“So...”

“So budge up. Snuggling's therapeutic.”

“... How?”  
“You think too much. Shut up and let me hold because you're my little brother and I'm gonna help you sleep.”

“... Okay.”

 


	16. Christmas

“No spaceships in sight yet,” Rose announced, looking out the window.

“Are spaceships supposed to appear on Christmas?” Luke asked, unable to take his eyes off of his sister's Santa hat.

“Not really,” Sarah Jane answered. “But two years ago there was a spaceship above London.”

“The Sycorax tried to invade,” Rose said. “They got blown up. And last year a giant spider web spaceship appeared in the sky and tried to shoot people with lasers. The military shot them down, but something else happened that drained the Thames.”

“And now everyone's left London because they think something will happen this year?” Luke asked.

Rose shrugged. “Better safe than sorry? We shouldn't worry, though. It's Christmas and what are the chances of something happening three years in a row anyway?”

“Very low. I can try to calculate the exact probability if you want.”

“... Clyde and Maria haven't been over rhetorical questions with you, have they?”

“No.”

“We're gonna have to work on that. On another day, though, because it's Christmas!”

“You already said that.”

“Yes I did!”

“So why did you say it again?”

“Because shut up is why.”

Sarah Jane glared at Rose, while Luke tried to process the statement. Several moments passed before anyone said anything again.

“I don't understand. How is 'shut up' a reason?”

Sarah Jane patted him on the shoulder. “It's fine, Luke. Don't worry about it too much.”

They were interrupted by a rumbling noise.

“What's that?” Luke asked.

“Probably the spaceship,” Rose answered. “Can't see anything out the window. I'll go out in the drive and check.”

She ran out the front door. A minute later, she ran back in.

“There's a giant replica of the Titanic about to fall on London.”

“Of course there is,” Sarah Jane said. “Spaceships are becoming a Christmas tradition here in London.”

 


	17. Subwave I

“Can anyone hear me?”The voice crackled through the Nobles' laptop, catching Mickey's attention.“The Subwave Network is open. You should be able to hear my voice. Is anyone there?”

“That voice...” he said, standing up and crossing over to the laptop. “I know I've heard it before.”

“This message is of the utmost importance,” the voice continued. “We haven't much time. Can anyone hear me?”

“I'm right here,” Mickey muttered.

“Captain Jack Harkness, shame on you!” the voice yelled in response to something that had been said on another end. “Now stand to attention, sir.” The image finally cleared up and the mysterious woman introduced herself. “Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister.”

“Yes! Harriet! Miss Jones, it's me! Mickey Smith!” he shouted, but there was no response. “She can't hear me. Is there a webcam for this thing?”

“No,” Wilf answered, pointing to Sylvia. “She wouldn't let me. She said they're naughty.”

“Well that's just great,” he muttered.

“Sarah Jane Smith,” Harriet continued. “13 Bannerman Road. Are you there?” There was a pause before she spoke again. “And Rose Tyler, what about you?” Another pause where someone must have said something. “Good. Now, let's see if we can talk to each other.”

The screen split into five sections. In addition to the one with Harriet's face on it, there was one with Captain Jack Harkness. Sarah Jane Smith and a teenage boy were on the third, with Rose sitting down in the fourth. The fifth screen remained fuzz.

“The fifth contact seems to be having some trouble getting through,” Harriet said.

“That's me! But how am I supposed to get through without a webcam?” Mickey asked.

“I'll just boost the signal.”

The fifth screen cleared, revealing a young black woman.

“Hello,” she greeted.

Jack laughed. “Martha Jones!” he shouted.

“Who's she?” Mickey had to ask. While troubled that he couldn't get through, he was very curious who this – extremely pretty – woman was that, from the looks on everyone's faces, seemed to be known by the rest of the group.

“Martha, where are you?” Jack asked.

“I guess Project Indigo was more clever than we thought,” Martha explained. “One second I was in Manhattan. Next second... maybe Indigo tapped into my mind, 'cause I ended up in the one place that I wanted to be.”

“You came home,” a voice said. The woman, whom Mickey assumed was Martha's mother, came into view on the screen. “At the end of the world, you came back to me.”

Martha continued. “But then, all of a sudden, it's like... the laptop turned itself on?”

“It did,” Harriet said. “That was me. Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister.”

“Yes, I... know who you are.”

“I thought it was about time we all gathered, given the current crisis. You all know each other, correct?”

“No,” Mickey mumbled.

“That's right,” Rose said.

“But nobody knew where I was after I used Project Indigo. How did you find me?” Martha asked.

“This, ladies and gentlemen,” Harriet said. “This is the Subwave Network, a sentient piece of software anyone and everyone who can help to contact the Doctor.”

“What if the Daleks can hear us?”

This thought hadn't occurred to Mickey and he looked over his shoulder, as if expecting a Dalek to pop up and shoot him right then and there.

“No. That's the beauty of the subwave. It's undetectable.”

“A-and... you invented it?” Sarah Jane asked.

“I developed it. It was created by the Mr. Copper Foundation.”

“Yeah, but what we need right now is a weapon,” Jack said. “Martha, back there at UNIT, what did they give you? What was that key thing?”

Martha's face dropped as she held up a small square on a chain. “The Osterhagen Key,” she answered, with a solemn voice.

“That key is not be used, Dr. Jones,” Harriet declared angrily. “Not under any circumstances.”

“What's an Osterhagen Key?” Rose asked, leaning forward.

“Forget about the key! And that's an order,” she shouted, taking the other aback. “All we need is the Doctor.”

“Oh, excuse me, Harriet,” Sarah Jane said, “but, well, the thing is... if you're looking for the Doctor, didn't he depose you?”

“He did. And I've wondered about that for a long time, whether I was wrong. But I stand by my actions to this day because I knew – _I knew_ – that one day, the Earth would be in danger and the Doctor would fail to appear.”

“So... are we trying to contact the Doctor or form a battle strategy because the Doctor isn't here?” Mickey wondered out loud.

“I told him so myself and he didn't listen.”

“But I've been trying to find him,” Martha said. “The Doctor's got my phone on the TARDIS, but I can't get through.”

“That's why we need the subwave,” Harriet said. “To bring us all together. Combine forces. The Doctor's secret army.”

“Oh, we're an army now?” Mickey's unheard snark continued.

“Wait a minute,” Jack said. “We boost the signal. That's it. We transmit that telephone number through Torchwood itself, using all the power of the Rift...”

“And we've got Mr. Smith!” the teenager next to Sarah Jane declared excitedly. “He can link up with every telephone exchange on the Earth. He can get the whole world to call the same number, all at the same time. Billions of phones calling out, all at once.”

“Do phones work like that?” Mickey asked.

Jack laughed. “Brilliant. Sarah Jane, have I ever mentioned how awesome your kid is?”

“Yes, well, you're still not allowed to be alone with him,” she answered drily. “Nor are you allowed to attempt to recruit him to Torchwood.”

“Excuse me, sorry.” A man in a suit pushed his way past Jack onto the screen. “Sorry. Hello. Ianto Jones. Um, if we start transmitting... then this Subwave Network is going to become... visible. I mean, to the... Daleks.”

“Yes, and they'll trace it back to me,” Harriet responded. “But my life doesn't matter. Not if it saves the Earth.”

Jack snapped into a salute. “Ma'am,” was all he said.

“Thank you, Captain,” she said. “But there are people out there dying, on the streets.”

"Yes, but we appreciate it."

“Now... enough of words. Let's begin,” Harriet declared, and Mickey watched as the group sprung into action.

“Rift power activated!” “All terminals coordinated!” “National grid, online. Giving you everything we've got.”

“Connecting you to Mr. Smith.” “All telephone networks combined!”

“Sending you the number... now.”

“Opening... Subwave... Network... to... maximum.”

“Mr. Smith... make that call.”

“ _Calling... the Doctor.”_

“So am I.”

 


	18. Subwave II

The group watched in solemn silence as the screen on Harriet's end cut out, knowing full well that she had met her untimely end. The screen remained as fuzz for a minute or two more, before something started showing in the space. The face of the Doctor and Donna Noble materialized, to the joy of everyone on screen.

Jack laughed, before shouting. “ _Where the hell have you been?_ Doctor, it's the Daleks!”

“Ooh, he's a bit nice. I thought he'd be older,” the woman next to Jack commented.

“He's not that young,” Ianto said.

Everyone started talking at once.

“It's the Daleks!” Sarah Jane tried to say. “They're taking people to their spaceships!”

“The Daleks,” Martha said. “They're still alive. It's not just Dalek Caan.”

“They've been destroying UNIT bases,” Rose said.

“The Earth has surrendered!” Jack declared.

Mickey found himself wondering how the Doctor was supposed to understand any of these messages if nobody could take turns talking.

“That's Donna!” Sylvia shouted over the voices coming from the computer screen.

“That's my girl!” Wilf said

“Sarah Jane,” the Doctor said with a smile. “Whose that boy?” Before anyone could answer, he pointed to a different screen. “That must be Torchwood. Aren't they brilliant? Look at you all, you clever people.”

“That's Martha,” Donna said.

“And Rose Tyler!” the Doctor said.

“And whose... he?” Donna asked, pointing to Jack.

“Captain Jack,” the Doctor answered. “Don't. Just... don't.”  
Jack looked a bit put out at that.

“And nobody can hear me...” Mickey had to resist the urge to bang his head on the laptop.

“It's like an... outer-space Facebook,” Donna said.

“Everyone except Mickey...” the Doctor said, looking around as if trying to spot him in the crowd.

“Why would Mickey be here?” Rose asked. “He's in a parallel world.”

“That's what we're trying to figure out. Donna said he crossed over between dimensions.”

“He was trying to warn me about something,” Donna said. “About the... the darkness.”

Before anyone could say anything else, the screens cut out and, with them, communication with each other.

“Your voice is different,” the intruder said. “And yet... it's arrogance is unchanged. Welcome... to my new empire, Doctor.”

 


	19. Mother

“I suppose this is goodbye, then.”

“You could come back with me,” Jackie said. “Live with me and your dad and Tony.”

“... Tony?” Who was Tony? Was he a pet?

“Your brother.”

“My bro- you mean you...?” Jackie nodded and Rose grinned. “Mum, that's brilliant... but... I don't think I can go. I've got a life. Here. In this universe.”

“And it's a good life?”

“Yeah... yeah, it is. I've got a job. A flat. Friends. Jack, Martha, Sarah Jane, Maria, Luke, Clyde... But you've got Dad... and Tony. Trying to wrap my head around that. I'd already accepted that the only way I'd have a sibling was by adopting Luke as my brother. I'm his godmother, actually. Well, godsister. Calling myself his godmother is weird.”

“I'm glad for you.”

“I'm gonna miss you, Mum.” Rose wrapped her arms around Jackie, tears welling in her eyes.

“And I'll miss you too.”

After several moments, Rose pulled away. “I should get going,” she said, rubbing her eyes with her hand. “Get back to my home.”

“Goodbye, Rose.”

“Goodbye, Mum.”

 


	20. Rivalry

“I can not believe you would betray us like that!”

Clyde shrugged. “UNIT sounds pretty cool, but Torchwood has Captain Jack.”

“Still!” Maria shouted. “You are siding against the rest of us!” She motioned to Sarah Jane and Luke, who were, along with her, positioned firmly on the 'UNIT' side of the line that had been drawn in the dirt. Clyde was standing on the 'Torchwood' side, with Jack, Gwen, Ianto, and Mickey.

“What can I say?” Jack asked. “I'm a very charming person. And that brings us five to three.”

“Gwen and Ianto don't count! They work for you!” Sarah Jane said.

“We don't get votes?” Gwen asked hotly.

“You get, like, half a vote each,” Maria answered.

“Even then, we're still ahead,” Ianto said.

“Alan, Martha, and Rose still haven't voted,” Luke pointed out. “We haven't lost yet.”

Martha, standing a couple feet away, held up her hands. “I don't really want to choose a side.”

“You work for UNIT,” Sarah Jane said.

“Yeah, but I've also worked with Torchwood _and_ I'm friends with Jack.”

“Same here,” Rose said. “Don't really want to choose between Sarah Jane and Jack.”

“I still don't know what we're talking about,” Alan said. “I haven't had much to do with all the alien stuff and know nothing about UNIT or Torchwood.”

“So... what? You three aren't gonna vote?” Mickey asked.

“... Actually, yeah. Jack, give me the stick,” Martha said. Jack tossed it to her and she proceeded to draw a large circle in the ground around the three remaining voters.

“What's that, then?” Clyde asked.

“The 'Don't Really Care' Zone, for people who don't really care.”

“Dad!” Maria protested. Alan just shrugged and stayed inside the circle.

“Oh, come on!” Sarah Jane cried. She couldn't believe they were losing the argument because Clyde decided to side with Torchwood.

“Well then, whether or not Gwen and Ianto count as one vote or two, Torchwood wins!” Jack shouted.

“One day I'm going to gather up my old friends and we'll vote again.”

“That's cheating.”

“So is using your employees.”

“Bite me.”

“You wish.”

 


	21. Time

“Working at a chippy...” Jack said, drawing out the pause. “Can't imagine it pays very well.”

“I make it work,” Rose answered. “It lets me pay rent. Since I eat at Sarah Jane's half the time, I don't have to buy food as much.”

“Still, it's gotta be boring.”

“Is there a point to this or do you just want to insult my job?”

“Sorry. What I'm trying to say is... you should come work for Torchwood. Gwen, Ianto, and I could use another pair of hands.”

“Oh. That's...” Rose didn't know what to say. She was so adjusted to her life as it was – chippy job, tiny flat, and alien fighting with teenagers – that doing something else hadn't occurred to her. “I don't know. I'd have to pack up and move to Cardiff... It'd kill one of the main reasons I'm Luke's godsister, too.”

“Doesn't sound like you're particularly interested.”

“I think, if I _was_ going to join, now wouldn't be the time. There's too much that I need to do here in London. Sarah Jane and her kids need me.”

“I can completely understand that. I'm willing to keep the offer open if you ever change your mind.”

“You do that. I'll tell you when I'm ready.”

 


	22. Games

“That's not a word!” Rose said, glaring at the board.

“Yes, it is,” Luke protested.

“I'm with Rose on this one,” Maria said. “ _'_ Karst' isn't a word. Not a human one, anyway.”

“Yes. It is. 'Karst: landscape underlain by limestone that has been eroded by dissolution, producing ridges, towers, fissures, sinkholes, and other characteristic landforms.'”

“And where did you learn that? Do you read encyclopedias and dictionaries for fun?” Clyde asked.

“Sometimes.”

“Remind me why you thought teaching Luke to play Scrabble was a good idea again?” Maria asked Rose.

“'Cause I didn't think he would know any obscure words small enough to actually be played.”

“It's _Luke_. Of course he would know them.”

“I'm sitting right next to you,” the boy in question said. The girls ignored him.

“You agreed to play.”

“Stop talking about me as if I'm not here!” he shouted. Maria and Rose both stared at him. “Can we get back to the game now?”

Clyde looked at Luke, then Maria, then Rose. He then pushed the game board off the table. “Oops.”

Rose stared at him. “You're cleaning that up.”

 


	23. Goodbyes

“I think that's the last of it,” Rose said as she loaded boxes into the van. “How do they get all this stuff across the ocean, anyway? Clearly, you won't carry it with you on the plane.”

“I don't know. It's the sort of thing you'd have to ask Dad about,” Maria answered.  
“Or I can just look it up online.”

“Yeah, I suppose you can. Thanks for helping get everything out, by the way.”  
“It's no problem. I figured helping you here is the least I could do.”

“I'm gonna miss you. All of you.”

“Oh, Maria...” Rose wrapped her arms around the younger girl. “I'm gonna miss you, too.”

“Never thought I'd moving so far away. It's a completely different continent.”

“You'll still be on Earth. In this dimension. In the 21st century. All things considered, that's way closer than some people I know.”

Maria laughed. “Yeah... we can still visit each other.”

“And call and email and text... Won't be the same, but it'll be enough.”

“I think I'm gonna go over to Sarah Jane's, though. Take one last look around the attic. Say goodbye to Mr. Smith since he can't come out here.”

“You do that.” Rose gave her another hug, then stepped back. “We're done getting everything out, so you can go on. Say your personal goodbyes to the others before you leave.”

“I will. Thank you, Rose. For everything.”

“It's no problem. I might only be Luke's godsister, but all three of you are like siblings to me.”

 


	24. Proverb

“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Rose told the moping Luke from where she sat on Sarah Jane's desk chair.  
“They also say 'out of sight, out of mind',” he replied, unmoving from his position on the attic couch.

“Yeah... They should make up their minds on which to believe.”

“I know what you're trying to do, Rose.”

“Can you blame me? I don't think I've ever seen you like this. Come on. Talk to me about it.”

“What is there to talk about?”

“Everything? What are your personal feelings on the matter?”

“I'm happy for her. Her dad's got a good job in America.”

“Is that really how you feel? Or are you not telling me the truth?”

“Why do you care so much?”

“Because you're my brother and I love you?”

He sat up and looked at her. “I'm upset, okay? But people always assume I'm so upset because I fancied her or something.”

“I take it you didn't?”

“No!” He looked down at the ground. “It's just weird without her around. She's always been there for as long as I can remember. Literally, even. She was the first person I ever met.”

“And because she was the first person you ever met and she was nice and helped you, you sort of... imprinted on her? Sorry, no. I shouldn't have said that out loud.”

Luke stared at Rose blankly. He knew perfectly well what she meant. It was why he was staring. He was having trouble processing the fact that she had just said that to his face, even if it was technically true. He had kind of imprinted on Maria and now she was gone.

“Yeah...” she continued. “That sounded a lot better in my head.”  
“How did that sound good even in your head?”  
“Um... Tell you what. You pretend I never said that and I'll leave you alone.”

“Yeah...”

“Right. Bye!”

 


	25. Neighbors

“Hello, dear. Can I help you?” Gita asked.

Rose smiled. “I'm a friend of Sarah Jane's. I like to come over when I can, but she's not home right now, so I'm just hanging about until she gets back. Don't like going in there when she's not home except in emergencies. Oh, uh, you must the new neighbors. The Chandras, right? Luke mentioned you.”

“That's us. Gita Chandra. Pleased to meet you. Sarah's out working on a story. Luke, Clyde, and my Rani are at the library. Something about marine biology and aquatic lifeforms. Biology's not even in their classes this year. Good on them for learning things even outside school.”

“Right... good for them. I'm Rose Tyler. It's nice to meet you, too. How are you liking it here?”

“Oh, it's wonderful. Sarah's been very nice. Took Rani under her wing despite how busy she is. Wants to be a journalist, our girl.”

“ _Really?_ That's great.” She pretended she didn't know all this already. Luke and Clyde had already alerted her to the presence of a new alien fighter on the team, despite their best efforts to repel her.

“Tell you what, since Sarah's out, why don't you come in? I'm sure Haresh would love to meet you.”

Rose glanced over her shoulder at the empty drive of number 13, then shrugged. “Why not?” If they were, as she very much suspected, dealing with an alien, it could be a while.

“Oh, brilliant.” Gita turned towards the door, motioning for Rose to follow. Once they were inside, she started pulling things out of the cabinets. “Haresh! Come meet our guest!”

There was the sound of someone moving on the floor above as Haresh Chandra made his way downstairs.

“Ah, hello,” he greeted once he was in the kitchen.

“This is Rose, dear. She's a friend of Sarah's from across the road.”

“Rose Tyler, nice to meet you,” Rose said, holding out her hand.

“Haresh Chandra. You were mentioned in the school files...”

“Emergency Contact number two for Luke Smith, in lieu of a father?”

“Yes. You're a bit young to be his godparent, aren't you?”

“Yes, yes I am. That's why we prefer godsibling or godsister. You have to understand, sir, there aren't many people Sarah Jane would trust the life and well-being of her son to and most of them live a ways off. She didn't want him to deal with being uprooted when he would already have suffered something happening to his mother.”

“I understand. I was just a bit surprised, is all.”

“Rose is waiting for Sarah to get home from that story she's working on,” Gita explained. “I thought we could have a nice chat while she waits. Anyone want tea?”

 


	26. Worldview

“How's your week been?” Rose asked casually, as if they weren't sitting in the garden of a house that was full of alien technology.

“Exciting,” Rani answered. “Amazing. Incredible. I always thought these sorts of things existed, even before that spaceship landed on Big Ben... and the spaceship at Christmas a couple years ago... and the Cybermen... and the giant spiderweb over London the following Christmas... and the Royal Hope hospital apparently being moved to the moon... that time when the sun turned blue, there were worldwide power outages, and the world went cold... the fake aliens that Harold Saxon used to shoot the US president... the Titanic nearly falling on London... the moon falling out of the sky... whatever happened with Adipose... ATMOS emitting toxic gas and the sky lighting on fire... and then, of course, the Earth was moved and there were the Daleks... but seeing aliens like this...”

“Don't forget the evil mannequins from a year before the spaceship over Big Ben. I'm surprised you weren't put off from it after all that. … Also, congratulations on summarizing the last few years of major alien events quickly. We were directly involved in the sun turning blue and the moon almost crashing down.”

“Thanks. I pay attention to things. And why should I be put off from it? We have actual, definitive proof that we're not alone in the universe. Sure, the proof tried to kill us, but they're not all evil. I knew that back then and Sarah Jane confirmed it.”

“You're an optimistic person, aren't you?”

“You say that like it's a bad thing.”

“Oh no! I just mean... you make it pretty obvious with how you talk that you're more glass half-full than half-empty.”

Rani shrugged. “It's not as if there's any point being pessimistic about things, right?”

Rose smiled. “Right. If there's two things that my time with the Doctor taught me, it's that everyone matters and that the universe is an incredible place full of amazing things. In fact, it's downright... _fantastic_.”

“I feel like you just told a joke that only you understood.”

“That's exactly what I just did. Thanks for noticing.”

 


	27. Astrology

“Up here by yourself?” Rose asked as she stepped into the attic, plastic bag in hand.

Luke pointed at the computer terminal sticking out from the wall. “I'm with Mr. Smith.”

“Right... Hi, Mr. Smith.”

“Hello, Rose,” the Xylok greeted.

“What are two up to?”

“We're studying astrology.”

Rose blanked. “What for?”

“There's a man called Martin Trueman. An astrologer. He knows things about people. Their lives... their futures... He claims to be able to do it because of astrology.”

“How accurate?”

“He was talking about Mum's life... and he mentioned her traveling with the Doctor. He actually called him that. The Doctor.”

“Okay. That's a problem.” She reached into her bag and held out the container that was inside. “Want some chips while you study?”

Luke took one and bit into it before speaking again. “Mr. Smith says that almost every species has their own form of astrology.”

“Really?” She turned towards the supercomputer.

“It is correct. Astrology dates back to the dawn of time in almost every culture across the universe.”

“That's... cool, actually.”

“Yeah, it is,” Luke said as he grabbed another chip. “Why do you bring chips home all the time?”

“... cause I work at a chippy.”

“Yeah, but you still bring them home an awful lot.”

“Chips are good. They played a vital role in the alien plot to become gods that led your mum and I to meet each other.”

“That is a story you need to tell me.”

“Another time. Right now, let's focus on astrology.”

 


	28. Flirt

“Hello, everyone!” Rani, Luke, and Clyde looked up to the unexpected American voice and saw a familiar – to the boys, at least – man in an RAF coat. “Did you miss me?”

“Captain Jack!” Clyde yelled. “What are you doing here? How did you know we were at the park?”

“I'm visiting, of course. And... _she_ texted me with your location.”

He motioned over to where Rose was sitting at a picnic table with Sarah Jane, Gita, and Haresh. She grinned and waved, before standing up to walk over, motioning for the others to follow.

“Sorry, I'm confused,” Rani said. “You are...?”

“Captain Jack Harkness,” he answered. “I'm an old friend of Rose's.”

“He's cool,” Luke said. “But not cool enough to _betray your own team for..._ ”

“Hey!” Clyde protested.

“... You guys are talking about an actual event that happened right? Not, like, a sexuality thing?”

Clyde choked while Luke stared blankly at her.

“Well, I do have that effect on people,” Jack laughed. “but we're talking about a bit of a friendly rivalry thing I have going with Sarah Jane and her friends.”

“Since when was the rivalry friendly?” Sarah Jane asked, hands on her hips.

“Since we stopped trying to kill each other.” At Haresh and Gita's faces, he backtracked. “Not literally, of course, and Sarah Jane and I were never on bad terms. A lot of her friends work for a military branch that has an ongoing rivalry with the branch I lead. The rivalry used to be a lot less amicable then it used to be before I took over.”

“Oh, high-ranking military?” Gita asked. “Impressive.”

“I like to think so.”

“Jack...” Rose warned. “They're married.”

“I'm not- I was not flirting!” he protested. “I swear, I'm not even allowed to say hello to people!”

“That's because it's never just hello with you,” Sarah Jane said.

“Why does everyone say that?”

“Because it's true,” Sarah Jane, Rose, Luke, and Clyde all said at the same time.

Haresh stared at Jack, unsure how to take all this. Jack stared back at him.

“I swear upon my grave that I am not flirting with your wife, sir,” he said flatly.

Rose gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like 'what grave?' before smiling again. “He's alright, really,” she said. “He would never flirt with a person who didn't enjoy it. Or steal someone from their significant other.”

“I don't flirt with everyone I meet,” he claimed. Rose shot him a look that clearly said that she didn't believe him.

“ _So..._ ” Rani said, clearly attempting to break the tension. “Who wants to tell me the story of Clyde's betrayal for Captain Jack?”

Rose looked immensely relieved. “Well, it all started when a whole bunch of us were gathered together...”

 


	29. Engagement

“You're what?” Rose asked flatly.

“Engaged?” Martha asked, voice suddenly unsure. “I know it's fast, but we really like each other.”

Rose's confused gaze flipped from Martha, to Mickey, and back again. “I feel like this is some really weird dream or something.”

Mickey shrugged. “It's like something just clicked between us. I mean... you're not upset, are you?”

“No! No! I'm happy for you. I really am! It's just... that was really fast. I didn't even know you two started dating... And you're already engaged...”

Martha shrugged. “We decided we both wanted it.”  
“Right! Sooo... what are the wedding plans?”

“We don't know yet,” Mickey said. “We're not sure if we want anything big or how long we want to wait.”

“Right... got any other plans?”

“We've started looking at flats,” Martha said, though it sounded somewhat like a question.

“That's it?”

“Well, we don't want to plan too far ahead,” Mickey answered. “Since we don't yet know how long we're going to wait on the actual marriage part.”

Rose gave a thumbs up and grinned. “Well, good luck with your... um... engagement.”

 


	30. Forgotten

“Sounds like you guys had a hell of a weekend,” Rose said, laying back on the couch that she was currently using as a bed, despite Jack insisting that 'he didn't mind sharing'.

“Yeah, we did,” Luke replied on the other end of line. “I wish you would have answered your phone sooner.”

“It was dead. Only got it on the charger a few minutes ago. Of all the weekends, this had to happen when I was visiting Jack... Still, everything turned out all right in the end.”

“I wish you had been there. Then Mr. Langer might not have gotten the pendant in the first place. It would have been easier, at least.”  
Rose paused, pretending to inspect her fingernails even though Luke couldn't see her. “Were you scared?”

“What do you mean?”

“You seem upset by all of it. Did it scare you?”

“My best friend forgot who I was. Of course I was scared.”

“Yeah... That's... that can't be easy.”

“It was terrifying. And when we got to the marina, I didn't know what I was gonna do. If it wasn't for Maria and Mr. Jackson managing to track Mum down...”

Jack chose that moment to come out of the bathroom, wearing just a pair of pajama bottoms and absolutely nothing on his top half. Rose stopped to stare at him.

“Are you listening?” Luke sounded irritated suddenly.

“What? Oh. Yeah. Jack was just... Sorry, you were saying?”

“Clyde said that he threw the pendant into the ocean, so hopefully it's gone for good.”

“Is that Luke?” Jack asked. Rose nodded. “Tell him I said hi.”

“Jack says hi,” she told him. “Anything else you wanted to add?”

“No, I think that's it,” Luke answered. “I should go now. Mum's got the 'it's past your bedtime' look on her face.”

“Tell her I said hi.”  
“I will. Bye, Rose.”

“Bye, Luke.” She hung up and looked at Jack. “Put a shirt on.”

“Why?” he asked, holding his arms out to show off his bare chest. “Does this bother you?”

Rose threw her pillow at him.

 


End file.
